21 Jump Street: Tatort Klassenzimmer

It took another 20 years, another generation, before we were ready for another cop show with young people as undercover cops dealing with crime and other social issues, but where Mod Squad left off in the Sixties, 21 Jump Street took the ball and ran with it in the Eighties.

Personally I think 21 Jump Street was a much better show. It certainly had at least one cast member who became a mega star in Johnny Depp. When Depp left the show, it sputtered on for a while, but ultimately died when other regulars left as well.

I might not agree with all of Johnny Depp's opinions, but I certainly have enormous respect for his artistic vision. He was good, he was very good as Officer Tom Hanson in 21 Jump Street, but he left at what turned out the right time for him before he was trapped as a juvenile teen idol forever and created one fantastic body of work as one of the best players around. He knew what he was capable of back in the day and the rest of us know it now too.

I was surprised that Dustin Nguyen didn't break out from 21 Jump Street as well as a big star. He should have had a great career as an oriental leading man, he had the looks, talent and definitely the martial arts skill.

In a way the Sixties handed off to the Eighties in the person of original captain of the Jump Street program, Frederic Forrest. He was one weird dude as the hippie type captain, a real refugee of the tune in, turn on, drop out generation. The character didn't work, so he was quickly dispatched and Steven Williams came on board as the new captain and a more traditional police authority figure.

You can see a lot of future stars in 21 Jump Street, Jason Priestley and Brad Pitt did episodes back in the day. I liked the stories very much, the series regulars were as human and as flawed as some of the kids they were dealing with.

I wish it had lasted longer, but maybe if Johnny Depp had stuck with it longer we might never have seen Captain Jack Sparrow.

Great to see that the show has hit the DVD format. Watched a few episodes so far from Season 1. Great show and don't know why it was not on reruns anywhere here in Canada. Noticed some over dubs on some dialogue, not sure if that was done back when the show was on FOX or if it has been done when putting it on DVD. Looks like some words are overdubbed, could swear that ass was said originally but you get a different word said. Watch the actor's mouth when the dialogue seems a bit louder briefly. What a gem though this show was and always will be. Holly Robinson is so sexy and still is today. I wonder what Johnny Depp thinks of this being out now on DVD. He never liked doing the show after the 3rd season but stuck it out for his contract duration. Would be nice to hear his comments and have him on the extra features. Too bad.

This television series held its own. I remember waiting patiently for the next episode to air when I was 13 and loving every second of it. Call it contrived and superficial, but I grew up with Judy Hoffs, Tom Hansen, Doug Penhall, Harry Ioki, Adam Fuller, and Dennis Booker....and I loved every second of it! Johnny Depp might renounce the fact that he was ever connected with this show, but it provided hours of entertainment for many individuals. For me, it is a reminder of a time in my youth where I was completely innocent.

This was Fox's first serious drama. It was aimed at a young audience. 21 Jump Street had a great cast including a young Johnny Depp, Peter DeLuise, and Holly Robinson among the cast members, good writing, and innovative plot about young cops posing as high school students to capture a wide variety of criminals in the school system. The show lasted a few seasons on Fox without network infiltration like other major networks. It lasted long enough to leave its mark on the baby network. Now there are a dozen shows like 21 Jump Street without the cleverness and the strive to be better than just the average shows on TV. In fact, the show was probably the first American drama on Fox to be filmed on location in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to cut costs. In the beginning of the Fox network lineup, 21 Jump Street launched a unique way of looking at secondary schools with a great cast. It was never awarded an Emmy which it should have been even nominated for Best Drama.

Like most people of my generation, I LOVED 21 jump street. Like most girls of my generation, I LOVED bad boy Johnny Depp. This one episode "Swallowed alive" (season 3) really stuck. Especially the music ("are you sure" by the staple singers in the tunnel scene, "can't find my way home" by Steve Winwood at the very end...). Anyway, I had been waiting for years for a DVD release. Years. And then it came. I watched the first season thinking "wow ! so lame !" and what the heck is that electro-crap music ? I just thought I had embellished the show in my memory and that it just wasn't that good anyway. Well, that's part true. The dialogs are sometimes so cheesy they make me want to puke. No wonder Johnny Depp couldn't' wait to get the hell out of this show ! I hadn't understood his move at the time, but now, do I ! So, in search for comfort, I watched season 3 (without bothering with season2). And I watched "Swallowed alive". Aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ! Totally ruined !!! What have they done to my episode ?!! Even though I knew there wouldn't be the original music because, well, none of the other episodes had their music, I kinda hoped they would have replaced it with something that would keep the spirit of the episode. Boy was I disappointed. Elevator music wouldn't have been worse ! So, my box set made an express on ebay and I am now 21 jump street-free. I was so looking forward to jumping back in my 15 year-old skin... Well, I guess that won't happen anytime soon. And you know what the worst part is ? I had that episode on tape. And some stupid family member taped over it. Life is so cruel.